3 Must-Read 2017 IT and Tech Trend Reports

It’s hard to find time to read IT reports packed full with chapters titled “Management and Oversight” or “Transformative Change.”

However, if you take the time, the following reports will not only prove insightful to you and your role in IT, but also to others in your organization.

1. 2017 IT Skills and Salary Report by Global Knowledge

Why you should read it: This report is the end-all, be-all of IT career research. It’s thorough and provides a global perspective that can, and should, help you better understand your market value and highlight the path you want to take.

The report’s best stat: Positions in IT security command the highest average global salary: $87,560

More than two-thirds of the IT decision-makers responding to the survey reported a gap between their team’s skill levels and the knowledge required to achieve organizational objectives.” – 2017 IT Skills and Salary Report

2. The State of Federal IT Report by The Federal CIO Council

Why you should read it: If your organization is undergoing change, there is no industry quite like Government that is ripe for IT transformation. This report lays out the best practices and principles that the Federal IT department has put in place to prepare for massive technological change.

The report’s best stat: Although the Federal government spends over $80 billion a year on IT, almost half (43%) of Federal IT projects reported on the IT Dashboard are over budget or behind schedule.

Over the last two decades, there have been improvements in the management, procurement, and development of Federal IT. Despite these efforts, many legacy systems still exist throughout the government. Over time, agencies may have modernized the technological components of systems, but rarely did these efforts accompany a larger scale business process re-alignment. These decisions, which seemed reasonable at the time, built upon one another over the years, creating a gap between the business process and the technology available. This resulted in inefficiencies and an inability for agencies to take full advantage of advancements in technology. By replacing these legacy systems with a modern technological solution and a digital-focused business process, we can harness true transformational change and fully leverage the benefits of these improvements.” – The State of Federal IT Report

3. 2017 Tech Trends Annual Report by Future Today Institute

Why you should read it: This extensive report features a lucid look at the future and explores mature and developing technology trends (159 in total). The report doesn’t overwhelm with fantasy future predictions and does a terrific job providing a high-level overview of nearly every significant technology trend.

The report’s best stat: The average Slack user spends 140 minutes, nearly two-and-a-half hours per weekday on the service.

Think about AI as the next layer of technology that will be integrated into everything you do professionally. Simply put, AI is a branch of computer science in which computers are programmed to do things that normally require human intelligence. This includes learning, reasoning, problem-solving, understanding language and perceiving a situation or environment.” – 2017 Tech Trends Annual Report

Now Available: The 2017 State of the SaaS-Powered Workplace by BetterCloud

Update: On May 18th, we released our 2017 State of the SaaS-Powered Workplace Report.

SaaS is a runaway train that’s showing no signs of stopping. Companies use 16 SaaS apps on average today, up 33% from last year. 73% of organizations say nearly all (80%+) of their apps will be SaaS by 2020.” – 2017 State of the SaaS-Powered Workplace Report